by Will Craig
Sundance: Do you? (motioning toward the raging stream below)
Butch: Alright, I’ll jump first.
Sundance: Nope.
Butch: Then you jump first.
Sundance: No, I said.
Butch: What’s the matter with you?
Sundance: I CAN’T SWIM!
Butch starts to roar while Sundance is angry and embarrassed.
Butch: Are you crazy? The fall’ll probably kill you.
The boys move to the edge of the path and make a leap of faith. Falling through the twilight they drop abruptly—yet safely—into the waters below.
This scene is from the Academy Award–winning script for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, written by William Goldman (The Princess Bride, All the President’s Men).
The super posse chasing Butch and Sundance has our heroes cornered with no way out. There is nothing left to do except to muster the courage and make the leap.
Who can’t identify with this? We’ve all been in similar situations. Maybe not as physically demanding, dangerous, or dire, but every bit as mentally perplexing and emotionally taxing. Be forewarned, my hero, for you are arriving at such a standoff on your adventure. Prepare yourself to make a leap of faith. You may not want to look down, but do look back at an ordinary world you are destined to change.
Destination – Purpose and Passion
Your objective on this leg of the journey is to accurately define and refine your purpose and passion. Your skills, talents, and abilities fuse together, revealing the internal engine that powers your endowments. Once you have a solid handle on these, your potential grows exponentially.
Fellow Traveler – Allies
Friends, allies, and buddies come to your aid in a crisis and help activate the unused or unexpressed parts of your personality. Sometimes, just having someone to talk with forces you to verbalize what had only been a thought or idea.
As in the ordinary world, allies are earned. Friends, buddies, and sidekicks assist and comfort us through the massive changes we encounter. We want to win as many allies as possible to support us through the transitions and transformations.
Buddy movies are a Hollywood staple: Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon series; Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise; Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black; and, of course, Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. It’s reassuring and affirming to have a friend along to share the experience—all of it, both the triumphs and the defeats.
Allies unite for mutual benefit or to attain a common goal. Friends wouldn’t be friends for long if the hero only used them for selfish purposes. Butch needs Sundance, Thelma needs Louise, Murtaugh needs Riggs, and vice versa.
Personal Guide – Courage
Courage is with you now to help you act in spite of fear. You leave the ordinary world behind and enter a special world promising transformation and rewards. With Courage as your guide, you learn there is much you need not fear if you’re willing to take the leap.
When the ancient Greek philosophers talked about courage, it was in reference to one’s character on the battlefield. Aristotle believed the virtue of bravery empowered Greek soldiers to manage their fears, enabling them to fight the battle courageously.
Similarly, the doubts and fears we face on our inner journey require moral courage. We must be willing and able to act on our ethical beliefs and values, and to stand on principle.
Doing the right thing sometimes entails going against popular opinion, being shamed by peers, or even suffering a personal loss. Being able to “walk your talk” down this path comes at a price. When you stand up for what’s right, you may be standing alone.
The good news is, you can gain the courage of your convictions with practice. At this level, it’s like being thrown in the deep end to learn how to swim. You must be courageous to possess courage. You must take action in spite of your fears, or you will drown. The next time in the water may still be a little scary, but you’ve acquired an ounce of bravery—and it looks good on you. Pretty soon, summoning courage is no longer necessary—your courageous character prevails.
“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort but you cannot choose both.” ~ Brené Brown
Pushing Through the Fear
The leap taken by Butch and Sundance is both literal and metaphorical. From here, they escape into the special world of South America, where everything is different, including the language. These two allies are stronger together than they would be individually. The allies you meet on your path offer a shoulder to lean on, lend you an ear, and watch your back. Some will even jump off of a cliff with you.
Leaps of faith come in all shapes and sizes. The leap you’ll need to make is custom-fit just for you, based on what you need to learn and where you plan on heading. Here’s another film moment that requires the hero to make a leap of faith, but in a very different way from Butch and Sundance.
Harry is encouraged to get moving by his ally and mentor, Hagrid. The half-giant, half-human from Hogwarts has given Harry Potter his golden ticket: the one that’s going to take him on the train bound for a strange and special world. It’s leaving in ten minutes, so he must make haste.
Harry has a very particular platform from which he is supposed to board the train. He looks everywhere between platforms nine and ten but can’t find his platform. He spots a trainmaster and asks where he might find Platform 9 ¾. “9 ¾?” The trainmaster doesn’t look pleased. “Think you’re being funny, do ya?” And he walks off.
A woman named Mrs. Weasley walks by with her family. “Come on,” she says, “Platform 9 ¾ this way.” One of the boys runs toward the brick wall and disappears right into it. Harry can’t believe his eyes. Then two more of the boys run through the wall. Harry looks to the woman, who tells him, “All you’ve got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten. Best do it at a bit of a run if you’re nervous.”
It’s a quite-literal leap of faith, but Harry takes a deep breath, runs at the wall, shuts his eyes, and magically appears on the other side. Waiting for him is a red train whose whistle is blowing for the departure from Platform 9 ¾ to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
All leaps of faith look different, feel different, and are different. You can’t prepare yourself for what your challenge will be. It will come to you on its own, often more quickly than not.
Your significant other gets an amazing job offer on the other side of the country. Your quality of life “should” skyrocket. But you’ll have to leave your friends and family, and everything you currently find comfortable. Your S.O. is your ally and has always been there for you. Will you take the leap?
The leap of faith is where most people chicken out on the Hero’s Journey. The leap requires resolute courage and lands those who attempt it squarely outside of their comfort zone. Resistance to change runs high. Refusing the call is easy. That is, it was easy until you became aware. The awareness stage of the journey has a way of shedding light on the immutable truth.
You come to a point in your inner life where what you once thought was of prime importance (your looks, your career, your possessions) somehow slips down the rankings. Letting it go means losing a significant part of your identity. Keeping it stunts your growth. Life might be better. Or not. Finding out requires a leap of faith.
The choice belongs to the hero in the arena—the one who has answered the call, is striving valiantly, and daring greatly, as Teddy Roosevelt would say.
How many calls have you refused? How many of those do you wish you could do over? If you get a second chance, where will you find the strength, determination, and power to push through the wall?
Passion Reveals Power
Uncovering your power begins with recognizing your passions and landing on your purpose. According to the Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index, only 9% of adults globally are thriving when it comes to their sense of purpose, making i
t the most neglected category of well-being.
Becoming aware of your purpose doesn’t usually come in a “light bulb” moment. Pieces of purpose may come to you in this way, but what normally transpires is a slow burn that ignites a process of becoming.
The first stage of awareness is dropping all the preconceived notions of what you think your purpose is, what you’ve been encouraged it should be, or what those close to you wish it could be. “If you want to discover your true purpose in life,” advises personal-development expert Steve Paulina, “You must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught, including the idea that you may have no purpose at all.”
Taking care of your family, putting food on the table, and being a good person is not your specific purpose. Yes, these are worthy objectives, but they could apply to just about anyone. What is your purpose? Where is your power buried? What is unique about you that stands out and makes a difference? What do you do better than anyone else you know?
Dig deep enough and I promise you’re going to unearth your purpose, and in so doing, uncover your power. When you’re “on,” when you’re in the zone, when things are flowing effortlessly for you, you’re in your power spot. You’re passionate about what you’re doing. You find it fulfilling and rewarding. Chances are, you’re helping others thrive in the process. Everybody wins; everybody benefits. This is real power.
Often, purpose and passion are so entwined, they can almost seem to be one. If you had to untangle them, you might observe this distinction: Purpose is the reason you’re on this journey. Passion is the torch that lights your way. Follow your passions and you’ll run smack into your purpose.
If that analogy doesn’t quite work for you, look at it this way: When you’re driving yourself to improve your talents, skills, and abilities, it’s purpose that’s behind the wheel. Where’s passion? That’s your foot on the accelerator.
In the interest of presenting a differing point of view, here’s Mike Rowe, host of the television show Dirty Jobs: “Don’t follow your passions; bring them with you.” Some people following their passions are still waiting tables while waiting for their big break. And while persistence is key to surviving and thriving, maybe there’s a better way to reach the top.
“Do something you’re good at and figure out a way to love it,” Rowe says. A slogan like that will never make it onto a success poster with a photo of a guy standing on top of a mountain. But you’re more likely to climb your metaphorical Everest—being good at what you do and loving it—than you would following a passion that may be better suited as a hobby (or a part-time job).
Life on Purpose author Brad Swift maintains that life purpose is not about something you do, some role you play, or some job you have. The things we do aren’t what define our purpose but are expressions of our purpose. Our purpose isn’t what we do; it is what shapes what we do. Purpose is not in the what but the why. It’s not in the doing but in the being.
Uncovering Your Power
We are each born with the capacity to fulfill a life purpose. We were born to flourish. Our passions, often unbeknownst to us, emanate from our life purpose and vice-versa. It is an infinite loop of fire for the soul. The relationship between purpose and passion won’t be fully appreciated until we come full circle in our search for destiny. The most significant action we can take now is to recognize, acknowledge, and honor our purpose and pursue it with unbridled passion.
When you are truly on purpose, the people, resources, and opportunities you need naturally gravitate toward you. Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles, emphasizes, “Be clear why you’re here.” Without a purpose, it’s easy to get sidetracked on your life’s journey.
Start with possibility thinking—that is, not your current limitations, but what is possible. You won’t nail your life’s purpose in 10–20 minutes. Even if you manage to isolate 30–40 minutes of uninterrupted alone time, it still may not crystalize. However, you’ll be closer and might even discard surface-level notions, pat answers, and other people’s expectations. This is your trip, so enjoy the momentary solitude. Gradually, with consistent self-examination and honest appraisal, you’ll come closer to a meaningful purpose statement.
On some level, you already know the reason you are the hero of your myth. Why did you answer the call? What is so special about you? What are your gifts? Like the mythical heroes on Mount Olympus, you, too, have a superpower. What is it? Come up with the answers to these questions and you are incredibly close to defining your true purpose.
What are you better at than anyone you know?
Purpose reveals itself in dreams, desires, and wishes. (They may not get you where you want to go, but chances are you’re not going to end up where you think you will, anyway.) What did you dream as a kid? What are your dreams now? What is your default daydream? Which dream have you had the longest?
Dream big, but don’t get locked in. Be open and hold space for something you hadn’t planned to discover. As The Lovely Bones author Alice Sebold points out, “Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had.”
Joseph Campbell said, “Myths, so to say, are public dreams; dreams are private myths.” (Campbell, 1972) What is the private story you most want to read? What do you want your myth to be? What story will you write?
Stories influence minds and determine fates. We see it all the time on television and in the movies. What little kid doesn’t emulate their favorite superhero? What adult doesn’t secretly wish they were living the life they see on the screen? It’s so rewarding to see other people overcoming all odds and persevering to save the world (and get the girl/guy). In a quiet sort of way, stories inspire us to believe we just might be able to do the same thing—someday.
One hiding place to find our purpose/passion is in something we already possess: innate ability. We may not recognize that we have it, so it doesn’t immediately come to mind. That’s because, when you use your natural abilities, there’s nothing to it—so it’s easy to think everybody can do it. They can’t.
My friend Robert W. Smith is a musical genius. The word “genius” gets thrown around a lot, but this guy is the real deal. Not only does he have perfect pitch (the innate ability to hear a note and be able to tell you it’s an F sharp, for example) he also writes full music scores in his head before transferring them to a format other people can read. He does all of this on an airplane or on a beach without the aid of a piano or musical keyboard of any kind. He’s a freak (in a good way). He told me that when he was growing up, he didn’t think anything of it because it was easy for him to do. For the longest time, he thought everybody could do it.
And so it is with many innate talents and abilities.
You possess a unique combination of skills, talents, and abilities that make you perfect to play the hero. Everything you need to figure out, everything you must do, everything you need to be, is waiting to be discovered. The answers come from your own inner hero. For your part (the conscious part), the mandate is uncovering your power.
For me—someone who barely made it through high-school English—my passion is crafting words. Go figure. It took me the better part of my life to uncover my purpose because I didn’t do well in school and didn’t think I was smart. Ironically, learning and teaching are two of my gifts. (Who says the universe doesn’t have a sense of humor?)
What I’m better at than anyone I know is distilling knowledge. I evaluate, aggregate, coalesce, systematize, and clarify information for greater understanding. I pull together, assemble, and condense knowledge for heightened awareness, comprehension, and enlightenment. From this collection of attributes, I created a purpose statement that is the headline of my master plan.
On this unpredictable journey, I’ve tripped over my dreams, fallen into my purpose, and landed on my passion.
My purpose is helping people discover their life’s path by charting new adventures in personal growth and lifelong learning.
It might so
und a little corny, but it works for me. What works for you should be equally as corny in a uniquely you sort of way. Your purpose statement becomes an integral part of your Map of Self-Discovery.
Proof of Purpose
Now that we’ve been encouraged to emulate our screen heroes and follow our dreams, here’s the downside: Dreams engender feelings. Feelings arouse passion. Passion reveals purpose.
So far, so good.
Passion drives your feelings and purpose, and is the profound reason for your existence. But following your dreams, as we’re so often told to do, can be a setup for failure. Grand dreams require planning, resources, sustained effort, and time. It’s time that usually trips up even the best of heroes. Who can sustain genuine commitment over a silly “positive thinking” dream or the inspiration from a special-effects movie?
In dreams and movies, we rarely get to see what it takes to get to the point of the payoff. There’s only so much filmmakers can show in under two hours, and preparation is mundane. That’s what gets cut from the movie or not even shot in the first place.
In real life, we’re looking at years of training, along with sacrifice and unrelenting resistance from many unseen forces. Olympic athletes train and dedicate themselves for four years to participate in an event that is measured in minutes and seconds. Commitment is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making big dreams come true.
A dedicated life purpose is a gift and something we must prove worthy of. Just as we earn the gift from the mentor, we must provide proof of commitment to our purpose. A life purpose is nothing more than words in a journal unless we leap off the page and put action to our words.
When we genuinely land on our purpose, taking action is not an issue. The proof of our purpose comes when we experience inspiration, awakening, and aliveness. We eagerly embrace the commitment to our purpose because it feels right, it’s sustainable, and we can’t wait to go after it.
